Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he
hath settled on his lease, and hath not been
emptied from vessel to vessel. Neither hath he
gone into captivity. Therefore his paste remained
in him, and his scent is not. I shall never forget
the hour when I first read this from God's word.
And you'll find it in the 48th chapter of Jeremiah.
It's the 11th verse. Oh, sure. I thought I knew
the word. I thought I had explored all there
was in Jeremiah. But I never began to tap the
deep roots until I discovered this 11th verse
of the 48th chapter of Jeremiah. There are five
words, just five simple little words, emptied
from vessel. To vessel. Now the figure that's
used here by the Holy Spirit has to do with wine
making. It tells one of the methods used in producing
a clear, rich, well -refined wine. Somebody says
wine is wine. And those who do not know will
just accept anything so long as it's wine. But
there's a difference. They tell me there's a
vast difference in wine. And this figure of speech
right here has to do with the making of the finest,
the purest, the most refined, clear, rich wine.
In those days, it had to be poured into a vessel
and then allowed to stand for a certain length
of time. under certain circumstances, perhaps,
of heat, cold, light, or darkness. And then it
was poured again into another vessel. And each
time there was a settling of the sediment, a
settling of the dregs, which remained in the
vessel as the winemaker carefully poured the
precious liquid. into still another vessel. And
this process was repeated over and over again.
It was allowed to stand for a certain length
of time, and then very carefully, very cautiously,
it was poured into another vessel. And as it
was being poured, all the drakes, all the sediment
would remain in the vessel from which it was
being poured. And this continued until it yielded
a freshness of scent, a fragrance very choice
and very pleasing to the maker. And it continued,
and each time it became pure, smooth, and rich,
If this was not done, if it was allowed to remain
in the same vessel that it was made, it would
settle upon its leaves and it would become scented
with the essence of the dregs and the losses
of the fragrance would be completely gone. Just
plain ordinary wine. That's the reason this scripture
means so much. I repeat it to you. Moab hath
been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled
on his lease. and hath not been emptied from
vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity.
Therefore his taste remained in him, and his
scent is not changed. The other day, tired in
body, I had been working long hours, and there
was still so much work to do. I found myself
standing right in the middle of the room. And
it was very spontaneous. I looked up and I said,
Dear Lord, why didn't you allow all of this to
come to me when I was young? Why didn't you when
I was 16, when I was 17, and I had all the vitality?
I could go forever without sleep. Sleep meant
nothing to me. I was never weary. I didn't know
what it meant to be fatigued. I was exhaustless,
believe me. Dear Lord, please. I don't understand
why you waited so long before you piled all this
work on me. I stopped right there. You know why?
Gently he whispered to my heart and said, Catherine,
you could not have taken it at 16. You weren't
ready for it at 17. I could not have trusted
you at 20. I was just beginning my pouring at
17. I was just beginning the real pouring at
20. From vessel unto vessel, sure. When you first
began in Emmett, Idaho, there you were. A young
thing in your teens, no experience whatsoever.
Had I entrusted you with that which I have entrusted
you with this hour, you never could have taken
it. Never. You didn't know what it was all about.
You would have misused the glorious power of
the Holy Spirit. I wasn't ready. I can go back
and... Turn the pages of my life back again.
And I can tell you over and over again when the
wine was poor. Those long months when the wine
was absolutely stale. deal in the vessel and
when he felt that the dregs had settled on the
side and on the bottom of the vessel very carefully
and cautiously he poured the wine into another
vessel and when it was poured I became a rich
Better, a more understanding person. I could
never in a thousand worlds preach to you on the
resurrection of Jesus Christ if I had not stood
one day at the casket of my own papa and laid
my hand upon papa's shoulder. The shoulder of
the little girl where I had shed my tears. The
shoulder on which I had laid my head when my
tooth would ache so badly and I found comfort
on that shoulder. I cannot begin to tell you
one thing that happened at Papa's funeral I don't
remember. I only know that I tasted of the resurrection
life. The resurrection power. I can preach on
the resurrection today. I can tell you of the
truth of the resurrection. Because in my own
personal experience, I was poured from one vessel
into another. I can only tell you the nearness
of the son of the living God. I can only tell
you that he is the mighty comforter, the great
man of sorrow when you feel alone. Because of
the vessel in the darkness, when I felt so all
alone. And he had taken the light from me while
the dregs and the impurities were allowed to
settle at the bottom of the vessel. And the dregs
fastened themselves on the side of the vessel.
And then came the hour when he began to pour.
Oh, it wasn't easy. It wasn't easy. But when
it was poured into another vessel, my life was
richer. I was a greater power for him. It may
be a vessel of clay. The clay has no transparency,
and the wine simply trusts for light to shine
again. Another vessel. Perhaps ugly and gray
because of some sorrow, some heartbreak. But
when the lesson is learned, the maker lifts it
and pours it off. Beloved, if we were never poured,
the wine would get spoiled and scented with drakes.
Paul knew the secret of this. My friend, I give
you his words. They're recorded in 2 Corinthians,
in that 11th chapter. And this is how he expressed
it. Are ye ministers of Christ? I speak as a
fool. I am more. In labors more abundant. In
stripes above measure. In prisons more frequent.
In deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received
I forty stripes, save one. Thrice was I beaten
with rods. Once was I stoned. Thrice I suffered
shipwreck. A night and a day I had been... In
the deep. In journeyings often. In perils of
water. In perils of robbers. In perils by the
heathens. In perils in the city. In perils in
the wilderness. In perils in the sea. In perils
among false brethren. In weariness and painfulness.
In watchings often. In hunger. and thirst in
fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside
those things that are without, that which cometh
upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
Who is weak? And I am not weak? who is offended,
and I burn not. If I must need glory, I will
glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.
These were the things Paul said that made me
strong. These were the things that made me a
spiritual giant. Oh, beloved, there isn't a cent
of... God today. But who without hesitation will
say, Paul was the greatest of all Christians,
the greatest spiritual giant that ever lived.
I do not believe that there was a human being
to whom God entrusted more spiritual wealth,
greater spiritual secrets, greater spiritual
truths. God never entrusted to a human being
more than he entrusted to Paul. If ever there
was a man who had God's favor, it was Paul. But
Paul understood why he was permitted to be the
vessel to whom God entrusted these things. He
understood. Yet. He says, of the Jews, five times
received I forty stripes, save one. But never
once did he question the deliques of a tender
heavenly father. Yes, beloved? Do you want to
be a power for God? Then, my friend. The wine
will have to be poured from vessel into vessel.
Someday, the last vessel will be filled and the
very last pouring will be finished. From his
own lips, may you and I hear his words. Well
done, thou good and faithful. servant.